by Matt Booher, Extension Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources
Virginia Cooperative Extension

The location and proximity of drinking water is the primary factor controlling where and how intensively livestock graze. In general, the majority of a grazing animal’s time will be spent within 800-1,000 feet of a water source, which often results in limited use and productivity of outlying areas of a pasture.

Areas closest to water sources often receive heavy grazing pressure, which also reduces pasture productivity and can lead to soil erosion and nutrient pollution. In-field watering locations can therefore be useful in improving the usability and productivity of upland pasture areas. Additionally, a centrally-placed watering system can support field subdivision and rotational grazing, as well as the exclusion of livestock from sensitive riparian areas.

For many producers, excluding livestock from surface waters such as creeks and ponds is a common-sense tool to minimize mortality or lost-performance due to drownings, mud, diseases, and pests.

In pursuit of these goals, a solar-powered watering system may in some cases be the only affordable alternative to the high cost sometimes associated with extending residential electric power to remote fields. For beginner farmers with limited capital, or tenant farmers with little incentive to invest in a permanent well, a solar-powered system used to pump from surface waters such as a creek or pond is increasingly an attractive option.